What It Means to be a Team
by Misoka Kai
Summary: Persona 3. They were supposed to be a team, but why can't they be as close as they were supposed to...? One-shot.


**A/N: Cha-ching! So, I haven't really play it 'till the end myself and simply rely on the LPs and other fanfictions so the timeline might be all jumbled up or incorrect and I'm sorry for that but the P3FES true ending is simply too sad and i don't know if the P3P would be like that too (that's wha t I'm currently playing and my friend said there's a different ending aside from the true ending and the bad ending but I'm not sure myself) but I was bawling my eyes out watching the ending. And on a side note, the fic didn't end as I originally thought but eh, it's done anyways so whatever, I'll just post it and I don't think the title is relevant to the whole story too... ...whatever! c: Oh and of course, this fic means spoilers in case any of you hasn't finished it!**

 **English is not my native language so I'm sorry for any grammatical or spelling mistakes!**

 **Disclaimer: Persona 3 and all the characters aren't mine BUT I would gladly take Minato!**

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What It Means to be a Team 

Yukari wanted to be friends with them. But the incident 10 years ago traumatized her and the fact that the 'leader' of the group was a family of the one that was responsible for her father's death didn't help either. She wanted to be friends with them all, including her, but there was just some sort of awkwardness between them anyway.

Junpei didn't particularly care about closeness. He, simply being him, was like a friend to everyone because of his stupid antics and his advances towards the girl. He was the usual happy-go-lucky guy that would talk to everyone but wasn't particularly close to anyone anyways. There was also how he always prioritized the female being the womanizer he was.

Akihiko took care of the team. But he himself didn't particularly believe in closeness and friendship and teamwork and togetherness and all of that. Yes, he wanted to be stronger to be able to protect them, but it was more like a responsibility instead of any feelings involved. He went along just fine with the others but it wasn't as if they would all hang out together or something anyway.

Mitsuru was cold and distant. She seemed to be solely focused on getting the job done. She didn't look like having any intentions to hang out in the first place, only concentrating more on building a stronger team and getting her duty and responsibility done. After all, that was what she had always been, a leader searching for an efficient way to finish things.

Fuuka was quiet, but she at least made an effort to befriend everyone. She was kind and would always be a good listener to any of them. She would sometimes get embarrassed by Junpei's advances but could handle herself well after getting used to it. But then, she still have friends outside the S.E.E.S and would often hang out with them. They would only be together in the evenings on the lounge so it wasn't like they would find a time to go somewhere together.

Ken was still a child. He found it a bit hard to converse with them of course. But thankfully he could get along fine with Fuuka. Besides, he didn't particularly care to strengthen the bond between teammates. He might be a child but he acted mature sometimes. He believed that if he did his role well, he would be fine. And that's all there was to it.

Shinjiro didn't really try to socialize with them all and was always the silent observer. He would help them when in trouble and he was the sharpest one too. With his cooking, they get together to eat more often than before. Still, there was a barrier between them all though. Shinji was just a temporary member after all and his relationship with Ken was just plain bad.

Aigis cared simply and only for him. She didn't really think much of the other members. But interactions with Fuuka and a bit with Mitsuru was inevitable since they helped with her maintenance. But then again, Aigis was an android created only to protect him and defeat the Shadows. She never really thought of being _friends_.

Koromaru was… …well Koromaru was simply a dog. Sure, he made them felt a mutual responsibility of taking care of him, walking him, but that was as much as the connection formed between them. It didn't really change a thing, really.

It was sad really how sudden death could separate them. And they thought they were just getting closer. And Shinji had to leave. The meals they had together before was getting less frequent. Some of them would hang out together sometimes though. On weekends, the juniors hanging out more often together than with the seniors. But when taking Koromaru out for a walk, sometimes Akihiko would accompany him, doing little exercise at that. And they would talk and just chat.

The peak of their bond was probably when they were about to fight Nyx. They reached the decision to not let Ryoji die and would instead face Nyx. Even a closed off distant relationship based out of duty and responsibility would melt for a year of togetherness.

Through the one month of preparing for the battle of Nyx, their bond grew stronger than ever. With the possibility of memory loss, they promised each other, that on the graduation day of the seniors, they would meet on the rooftop, seeing the scenery of the whole city up there, together.

The battle of Nyx was a tough one, but they prevailed at the end. Of course not without sacrifices though. He stayed strong though. Even as the days passed with him getting more and more sleepier no matter how long he slept, he stayed through, until three months. The day of the graduation grew nearer. He was determined to fulfill the promise no matter what.

On the day, Aigis came to his room. Only she remembered. But that was enough. He would fulfill the promise together with her. It was fine even if it was just the two of them. They walked together to the school. No one was outside for the ceremony had already begun. Ascending the stairs, he had to lean on Aigis at times, his body felt like it was getting heavier and he was getting sleepier that it was hard to keep his eyes open.

They sat on one of the stone benches. His head on Aigis lap. Aigis kept on talking, and he was fine with just hearing.

Miracles did occur though. On the distance, he could hear the sound of his comrades, his _friends_ —was it alright to address them as such, he wondered—and the sound grew louder. But he was getting sleepier. He didn't think he could stay awake much longer… But he wanted to see his comrade's faces for just one… last… tine….

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"Wake up, sleepyhead! You see, we remembered at the very last minute after all, we fulfilled our promise!" Yukari.

"Don't get too comfortable on Aigis' lap!" Junpei.

"Come on, it's our graduation day, aren't you supposed to see us off?" Akihiko.

"It's supposed to be a celebration day and yet you're sleeping? I guess you still have many ways to go." Mitsuru.

"Isn't it time for you to wake up already?" Fuuka.

Aigis stayed silent, combing her hand through his hair.

Silence.

He was unmoving, barely hearing them.

"Hey, Minato?"

"Hey, wake up."

"You're kidding right?"

"Come on, wake up and told us it's just a joke."

"Don't do that on us."

"Hey, all ends well doesn't it?"

"Wake up, Minato."

"Aren't we heading to the future… together? All of us? And wouldn't this place be the starting point? We promised right?"

"If this is a joke, this is one cruel one you know."

"Minato…"

 _~Owari_

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 **A/N: What inspired me to make this fic is actually a scene in Persona Q where Yukari said "You guys are so close, huh" and she looks kind of envying that this is just my view on why they couldn't be that close as the Persona 4 casts. ...But then somehow I wrote it right through the end. ...And it ended up weird. ...And I really wanted a fic where it would describe what they would do when they realize that Minato's dead... not sure if it was told in the game but I think the last door to the Abyss of Time actually let us see what happened when Minato fought Nyx so I guess they do tell about what happened after Minato's dead...? Hm. So anyway, the one talking on the last dialogues are just jumbled up, really, I don't really care about who talked which. So. Um. Hope you like it? I was thinking of making another fic where Minato and the female protag (I choose Minako as her name) a twin instead of two different persons so... um.**

 **Well anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **-Kai**


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